Another Headphone thread :D gaming, and portable cd player

I'm looking for a pair of headphones that will suit all my needs.

They need to have strong bass for gaming.
They have to be comftorable!! and able to breathe so my ears don't sweat.
They also have to be able to "keep the sound in" for quite places, such as the library, or an airplane.
They have to be under $80.
They don't need an amp to sound good, something my rio volt can handle.
They need to be durable.

I have a Sound Blaster Audigy, and play games like Soldier of Fortune 2. The type of music I listen to is mostly rock: System of a Down, Korn, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rancid, Godsmack, Disturbed, Korn, etc.

Is there such a pair of headphones?
I've heard the Sennheiser HD 497 ones are good, but do they meet all my qualifications.
Is it even possible to have a pair of headphones that breathe, yet keep the sound in?

I think that's it :D

headphone.com has some nice info...

I have and love the sony mdr-v300

If you're going to spend the same amount of $$$ that the Sony MDR-V300 costs, I'd recommend the Sennheiser HD 212 PRO instead. Both sell for about the same price at a given reseller -- but the Sonys sounded just plain muddy (based on my previous experience with that model). The V300 delivers WAY too much mid- and upper-bass response, with almost NO low bass to speak of. The midrange is almost nonexistent on the V300, as well. And the highs? Well, grainy as @#$%, to boot!! Worst of all is that the headband itself will break in almost no time, and they're uncomfortable as hell!!! :mad:

The HD 212 PRO sounds dark, to be sure. But at least it doesn't suffer from all of the inaccuracies that most of the MDR-V### series 'phones have been suffering from. :p

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Originally posted by anvil82
I'm looking for a pair of headphones that will suit all my needs.

They need to have strong bass for gaming.
They have to be comftorable!! and able to breathe so my ears don't sweat.
They also have to be able to "keep the sound in" for quite places, such as the library, or an airplane.
They have to be under $80.
They don't need an amp to sound good, something my rio volt can handle.
They need to be durable.

I have a Sound Blaster Audigy, and play games like Soldier of Fortune 2. The type of music I listen to is mostly rock: System of a Down, Korn, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rancid, Godsmack, Disturbed, Korn, etc.

Is there such a pair of headphones?
I've heard the Sennheiser HD 497 ones are good, but do they meet all my qualifications.
Is it even possible to have a pair of headphones that breathe, yet keep the sound in?

I think that's it :D

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I just got a set of 497's and my feelings are mixed. As far as the audio aspects go, I am quite pleased. I will have to throw away most of my mp3's now because I can hear all the defects, which I could not with my Yamaha RH5MA's or my Z-560's. The positioning of sound is very good, which is critical in fps games, which I play a lot of. It's much easier to tell where sound is coming from now. As for bass response - well, I can hear everything in the phones I can hear on my 560's when I run the THX Ultimate Bass Test. Like I said, I'm pleased with the audio. Where I am not so happy is in the construction and comfort of the phones. The construction is cheap molded plastic. The Yamaha's I replaced, despite being much lower in terms of sound quality, were far better built. It suprised me that they would build such cheap fixturing for such decent phones. Also, at least at the moment, they squeeze my ears enough to become uncomfortable after an hour or so. But, all my other sets of headphones have too, so that's not too big a shock. Still, I was hoping...

Overall, for $50 I'm happy. I'd rather have gotten the same speaker elements in a sturdier and more comfortable setup, even if it cost twice the price, but these are pretty good for the money.

I agree with Nasty on the Senn HD-212 pros. Those or perhaps the Sony MDR-V6 not the V600.. the V6. They're both closed and can be had for less than $80.

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Also, at least at the moment, they squeeze my ears enough to become uncomfortable after an hour or so. But, all my other sets of headphones have too, so that's not too big a shock. Still, I was hoping...

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I just want to make a quick comment about headphone use. You really shouldnt be wearing them for more than an hour or so at a time anyway. It's quite easy to get 100db at that range which means that after 2 hrs you can damage your ears... permanently. The frequency response on your headphones or speakers won't mean much if your ears can't pick them up. Just take a break every once in a while.. your ears will thank you.

Hmm thanks for the opinions guys. Yeah, I'm really looking for some really comfortable headphones with good bass for gaming. I've decided to scratch the idea of closed headphones because I've learned that they don't sound as good as the opened ones, and will probably make my ears sweat less.

So does anyone know of any really comfortable headphones with good bass for under $80.

Thanks :)